@DonnaDiva I don't understand how you can say that. He is the only reasonable person running in the republican primary
— maureen bennett (@maureenbh) March 12, 2016
What inevitably turns up in my feed whenever I mention Kasich
If there’s one thing some liberals are big saps for, it’s the idea of forging kumbaya friendships with certain Republicans. They’re like nerdy high school kids pathetically grateful that the jocks and cheerleaders are letting them sit at their table for lunch. It’s very annoying but is an ongoing thing that will never go away so long as there are liberals yearning for whatever approbation they can get from people who scorn them. Arizona liberals are especially bad with this, since the political climate here is so demoralizing for Democrats. The hunger for “reasonable” Republicans is so strong that they’ll ascribe such characteristics to guys like Jeff Flake, mistaking his mild-manneredness for moderation, when the truth is that the now-junior Senator of Arizona holds a lot of horrifically right wing positions.
John Kasich, the current Governor of Ohio and Presidential candidate, is another heinous Republican benefiting from this bad habit of liberals. And the really maddening thing about it is that Kasich isn’t even a nice guy on a personal level! He’s a jerk! A moralizing prig who tried to get Blockbuster to ban Fargo because he didn’t approve of the content.
Kasich certainly does have the homespun “golly gosh gee whiz willikers” patter down. Why that reads as “nice” instead of screaming “Kathy Bates in Misery” to people is beyond me.
Actual policy matters are where Kasich’s sociopathy really shines, as you can read for yourself in this great Gawker piece by Ashley Feinberg called, fittingly, “Reminder: John Kasich Is Also Evil”, about how evil Kasich is on labor rights, the budget, and education in Ohio. Kasich is super duper anti-choice. Seriously, he’s a real dick about it and has been fantastically successful at it.
Did you know that of all the candidates who ran for President in 2016 in either party, only one voted for NAFTA? And that was none other than John Kasich! And Kasich reiterated his staunch support for free trade deals at a recent debate, lending further credence to my belief that all those angry white voters supposedly motivated by trade deals, aren’t, because they sure as hell haven’t punished Kasich for them. Further, a main plank of Kasich’s economic plan for the nation is the colossally dumb Balanced Federal Budget Amendment.
Oh, and he wants to put troops back on the ground in Iraq, which is shades of John McCain’s 2008 vow to stay there a hundred years if we had to.
But, lo, my Twitter feed was teeming with liberal Kasich love when he won Ohio on Thursday. I think there are two things going on here:
1. Liberals buying into Kasich’s “nice and reasonable” narrative out of ignorance and judging him to be the least egregious of the choices on the GOP side. Okay, but that’s not saying much, is it? And if Kasich manages to muscle his way to the nomination at the RNC convention this summer he’ll have a better chance of winning over either of the Dem candidates than Trump or Cruz. Stop helping him!
2. Liberals who just hate Hillary Clinton irrationally and are mad that the odds of Bernie Sanders capturing the nomination have become vanishingly slim. They’ve convinced themselves of the absurdity of Clinton being more ideologically similar to Kasich than to Sanders and, in some cases, that Kasich would even be better than Clinton. If you are in that camp, do a little thought exercise here: Swap Hillary Clinton out with Joe Biden, who is practically her doppelganger on votes and positions (Iraq invasion, banks, etc.). When it’s Joe Biden do you still prefer John Kasich? Didn’t think so.
The likening of Hillary to Biden misses the mark. It’s not only about positions, but also about persona. Biden was one of the least wealthy members of the Senate. He took the train home to Wilmington every night. The notion that Biden would whore himself to Wall Street banks for 6-figure speaking fees is kind of a tough sell. The notion that he would refuse to disclose what he said in those 6-figure speeches also is a tough sell. In the words of Lloyd Bentsen, “Madame Secretary, you’re no Joe Biden.”
In what way did you differentiate Joe Biden vs Hillary Clinton vis a vis John Kasich, ideologically? In no way, but thanks for playing!
You’re right, Kasich is no moderate. Just doing a lousy job of playing one on TV. Samantha Bee hits the nail on the head:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6y_AeJXUdM
Yes, there are only two possible reasons.
(Facepalm, shakes head).
I think there are two things going on here:
1. John Kasich is a POS. This is supported by his voting record and is not in dispute.
2. Donna Gratehouse hates Bernie supporters so much she just can’t help getting in a dig in an otherwise very good write up on Kasich.
2. No, I don’t hate Bernie supporters. I just want some of them to stop pushing John Kasich as an acceptable alternative to Hillary Clinton. Because he’s not.
2. No, because us Bernie supporters have consistently said if Hillary Wall Street Kissinger gets the nomination, we’ll hold our noses and vote for her.
A few clueless people posting Kasich nonsense in your feed do not represent Bernie supporters.
(Sad face, shaking head).